Our students had an amazing experience in New York! They volunteered with the Children’s Magic Garden on a range of projects. We cleaned and organized the garden, helped build an egg-shaped chicken coop, and prepared banners to demonstrate before a court case. We even sat in on a court case at the Brooklyn Supreme Court. Both sides of the case presented their briefs to the judge. It was an interesting experience that I’ll be writing more about later. Aresh, our site contact, was very informative: he has been involved with environmental justice for the past twenty-five years in New York.
 |
| Hard at work in the garden. |
 |
| Demonstrating in front of the courthouse. |
At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, we removed invasive English ivy from their old-growth forest. The Garden some of the last remaining old-growth trees in the city; the forest has been there since before the city was founded. English ivy was brought to the forest because it is commonly used as a decorative plant. It usually grows up the sides of buildings (you’ve probably seen it before). Sydney even threw out her back while working. After our volunteer work we walked around the grounds, which still had a surprisingly array of color.
We stayed with Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, which was built in the 19th-century. They graciously housed us in their “penthouse” apartment on the top floor. It had an outdoor balcony—which was rarely used with the cold weather—and several rooms for us. (The only downside were all the five or six flights of narrow stairs.)
 |
| Grand Central Station |
In our free time we visited a number of New York hotspots, including the Freedom Tower, Times Square, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, 30 Rock, the High Line Park, Chelsea Market, NYU, and Battery Park.
 |
| Abstract art feat. Julian. |
No comments:
Post a Comment